Plagiarism Policy

Applied Information System and Management (AISM) does not tolerate plagiarism in any form. This policy explains how plagiarism is identified, how findings are classified, and how they are handled before and after publication, in line with the COPE guidelines and the accreditation standards for scientific journals in Indonesia.

At a Glance

Screening tool Turnitin
Similarity limit Below 20% (overall similarity index)
AI-writing detection Below 30% (see Generative AI Policy)
When At submission, and again on the final version before publication
Decision basis The similarity report is read by an editor; the percentage alone is not the deciding factor

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting the work of others, or one's own earlier work, as new and original without proper acknowledgement. It includes:

  • taking all or part of another person's text, data, ideas, arguments, methods, figures, tables, equations, or code without correctly citing the source;
  • rewriting all or part of another person's work without using one's own words, even when the source is cited (patchwriting or close paraphrasing);
  • taking all or part of one's own previously published work without correctly citing it (self-plagiarism or text recycling), including redundant or duplicate publication; and
  • translating another person's published work into English, or from English, without attribution.

This applies regardless of the source, whether the source is published or unpublished, whether the original author is known, and whether the original author has given permission. Verbatim text from another source must be placed in quotation marks and cited.

How Plagiarism Is Identified

  • At submission: every manuscript is checked with Turnitin during the initial editorial screening, before peer review.
  • During review: reviewers report any overlap with published work that they recognise.
  • Before publication: the final version is checked again after revision.
  • After publication: concerns raised by readers or others are investigated under the Research Misconduct policy.

Turnitin is run with quoted material, the reference list, and small matches of fewer than 10 words excluded. Matches with the authors' own preprint or thesis are assessed separately.

How the Similarity Report Is Assessed

A similarity percentage does not in itself prove plagiarism, and a low percentage does not prove its absence. The editor reads the full report and considers in particular:

  • whether a large block of text matches a single source, even when the overall percentage is low;
  • whether the matching text comes from the core of the article (introduction, method, results, discussion) or only from standard phrases, method descriptions, or properly cited definitions;
  • whether the source is correctly cited and quoted; and
  • whether data, figures, or ideas, not only words, are copied.

A manuscript with an overall similarity index of 20% or more is returned to the authors before review. A manuscript below 20% may still be investigated if significant matches to a single source are found.

Classification and Handling Before Publication

Level Description Action
Minor Short sentences or phrases copied or closely paraphrased, without copying significant data, findings, or ideas; or an overall similarity of 20% or more caused mainly by poor paraphrasing. The manuscript is returned; the authors rewrite the text in their own words and cite the sources correctly, then resubmit.
Intermediate Significant paragraphs, data, arguments, or parts of an article copied without proper citation. The authors are asked to explain; if the explanation is not satisfactory, the manuscript is rejected.
Severe A large part of an article copied, including results, data, figures, formulas, methods, or ideas; or submission of a substantially identical manuscript already published elsewhere. The authors are asked to explain; the manuscript is rejected, the authors' institutions may be informed, and the authors are barred form submitting to AISM for a period decided by the Editor in Chief..

In every case, the authors are informed of the finding and given an opportunity to clarify before a decision is made, and the case is documented.

Handling After Publication

If plagiarism is found in a published article, the journal follows the Research Misconduct procedure: examination of the evidence, clarification from the authors, investigation, decision, and corrective action. Depending on its extent:

  • a correction (corrigendum) is published when the plagiarism is limited, for example a missing citation, and does not affect the reliability of the findings; or
  • the article is retracted when the plagiarism is substantial or makes the work unreliable.

Correction and retraction notices are public, state the reason and who decided, and are linked to the original article, its DOI, and its metadata. Retracted articles are not deleted, but are clearly marked as retracted. See Retraction and Withdrawal and Erratum and Corrigendum.

Responsibilities

  • Authors ensure that their work is original, check it before submission, and cite and quote all sources correctly.
  • Reviewers inform the editor of any substantial similarity between the manuscript and other work they know.
  • Editors check every manuscript, read the similarity report, and handle suspected cases consistently and confidentially.